Grim Meetings
by Nessa Elendil
Summary: When Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban and sees Harry Potter for the first time in twelve years, he does more than catch a glimpse of his godson-he walks up and meets him. As Padfoot, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is just an idea I had. I don't really know where I'm going to go with this fic, other than having about half of the next chapter vaguely outlined. Let me know if you think it's worth continuing or not. Thanks in advance!**

* * *

Harry Potter was a small and skinny, thirteen-year-old wizard with jet-black, messy hair and emerald-green eyes hidden behind thick, round glasses. He was also running away from Number 4 Privet Drive, where he lived with his Muggle aunt, uncle, and cousin. Harry's relatives hated magic, and after the magical stunt he had just pulled-however unintentional-Harry doubted he'd ever be allowed to set foot in the house again, not that he wanted to.

Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge, had come to visit her brother and his family, and, although she didn't know about Harry being a wizard, her dislike for the teenager matched the rest of her family's. Harry spent almost an entire week keeping his head down, not saying anything to upset his relatives or that might reveal the truth about his magical powers. He took all the criticism and insults thrown at him, in the hopes that at the end of the week, once Aunt Marge left, Uncle Vernon would sign a permission form from Harry's school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, allowing him to visit the nearby wizarding village of Hogsmeade on the weekends with the rest of his class.

He could put up with the verbal abuse he got from the Dursleys if it meant getting something he really wanted in return, but when Aunt Marge started having a go at Harry's parents, he snapped. During the loud argument that followed, Harry blew his aunt up like a balloon, grabbed his trunk with everything he owned in it, and left. Harry hadn't meant to blow up his aunt, but the terrible woman deserved it, so he had no intention of trying to deflate her and felt not the least bit guilty.

But visits to Hogsmeade were the furthest thing from Harry's mind now. After walking for a while through the dark, deserted streets of Surrey, the anger at his family was beginning to wear off and be replaced by dread. He didn't care about whether he could go back to the Dursleys' or not-he even preferred not-but Harry did care about returning to Hogwarts in September. Last summer, Harry had received an official warning from the Misuse of Magic office when a house-elf named Dobby smashed his aunt's pudding, and it was by no means unclear that he would be expelled from Hogwarts if he did magic over the holidays again. And he had just done a lot of magic.

Harry set his trunk down and sat on the curbside. He needed to think. He knew that his friend Hagrid had himself been expelled from Hogwarts, and that the current Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, allowed Hagrid to stay at the school as the groundskeeper, so maybe Harry would be allowed to stay as Hagrid's assistant. But the thought of watching his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger learn magic, graduate, and become wizards without him made Harry's heart ache. He didn't think he'd be able to make it if he had to live like that.

But Harry also knew that when Hagrid had been expelled, his wand had been snapped in two. If he wanted to avoid that fate, he'd have to run for it. Harry jumped up and opened his trunk. If someone was coming to snap his wand, he couldn't sit around and wait. He'd have to leave now, and figure out where to go once he was on the way. He hoped his owl, Hedwig, would be able to find him, wherever he ended up. In the meantime, already being expelled, Harry would have to use more magic to get away. He could charm his trunk to be feather-light, tie it to his Nimbus 2000 broomstick, and fly away under his father's invisibility cloak. He'd go to London, empty his vault at Gringotts bank, and start his life as an outcast on the run. He hoped Ron and Hermione would understand his actions, because he couldn't let them break his wand.

Harry heard a twig snap on the supposedly empty sidewalk and looked up from his trunk. There-close enough for him to reach out and touch-was large, black, bear-like dog. Harry froze. The canine looked monstrous enough to eat him, and not to mention starving.

The dog stared back at Harry. Then, slowly, its mouth opened, its tongue lolled out, and its tail started wagging.

Maybe this dog was friendly. _Or maybe it's so hungry you look like a feast._ "Er- hi," Harry said, lamely. "Are you hungry, boy? I don't have any food-"

The dog barked.

Harry jumped.

The dog's ear fell, and it dropped to the sidewalk.

"I'd feed you if I could, but I don't have anything."

The dog whined and inched forward on its belly.

At least the animal didn't seem like it was going to hurt him. Harry slowly reached out his hand to let the dog smell it. "See? No food."

The dog sniffed his hand and licked it, then stood and started wagging its tail again.

Maybe the dog wasn't hungry. Harry carefully patted the dog's head. When the dog made no move to bite, he scratched behind its ears. He noticed it didn't have a collar. "You're just lonely then, eh? I know what that's like."

The dog _woof_ed and moved closer.

"Crap!" Harry jumped back to his trunk. "I got to get out of here!"

The dog tilted its head and whined again.

"Sorry, boy, I have to go. I can't let the Ministry find me, they'll snap my wand if they do."

The dog moved closer and nudged Harry.

"I have to fly to London. I can't take a dog on my broom." Wand in hand, Harry kept searching his trunk for his invisibility cloak. He found it, gave it a sharp tug, and fell backward, landing in the street.

Harry saw the bright headlights and heard the screeching tires, but before he could move, the dog bit into his shirt and yanked him onto the sidewalk. Good thing too, because a large tire was stopped right where Harry's head had been.

"Thanks, boy," he said, a little shaky.

* * *

Sirius Black, escaped convict, wrongly convicted, wizard, and illegal Animagus, could hardly believe the turn of events that had taken place since he saw his godson, Harry Potter, for the first time in twelve years.

Sirius knew that Albus Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic didn't know about his Animagus form-he had purposefully flaunted his canine form in front of a couple Aurors just to check-but his old friend Remus Lupin did. Which meant Sirius didn't know how much Harry knew. He knew his godson was living with his mother's sister and brother-in-law, Hagrid told him as much the last time he saw the boy, but he also knew it would be foolish not to assume Remus had kept in contact with Harry. Harry was, after all, his best friend's son. It was reasonable to believe that Remus at least warned Harry about large, black dogs.

Sirius had planned on getting a glimpse of his godson before going after Peter Pettigrew, the man who handed Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort and framed Sirius for their deaths and his own, but when he saw Harry, his desire to get to know the kid got the better of him. Thankfully, it seemed that Harry had not been told anything about Sirius' Animagus ability.

When Harry started petting the dog, Sirius couldn't say if his plans had changed or not. The kid was obviously running away from home, and it looked like no one was coming after him. Sirius had run away from home himself as a teenager, and no one came after him either. The difference was Sirius had a place to go, and from the sound of it, Harry didn't. All Harry said was that he was going to London, not to Lupin's place or a friend's place, and that the Ministry was going to snap his wand, whatever that was about. But really, was _no one_ looking out for this kid? There was an alleged murderer escaped from Azkaban who purpose for escaped was allegedly to kill Harry Potter. And here was Harry Potter, roaming around at night with no one but the escapee around. Had Dumbledore gone daft during the years Sirius was in prison?

And when the Knight Bus appeared, its front tire aiming for Harry's head, Sirius gave no thought to how un-doglike it might seem, and pulled Harry out of the way with his teeth.

It was the first thing he had done right by his godson in over twelve years.

So Sirius followed Harry-who introduced them as Neville Longbottom and his dog, Trevor-onto the Knight Bus and to London.

Now, Sirius lay curled up at the foot of Harry's bed in a room in the Leaky Cauldron. He was pretending to be asleep while Harry lie awake petting his owl-Hedwig he had called her-and thinking over everything that happened that night, from seeing Harry to Harry's conversation with the Minister of Magic-who had been at the Leaky Cauldron to meet them- to plan his next move. He hadn't been the godfather that Harry needed him to be during his twelve-year absence while locked in Azkaban, and he couldn't be the godfather Harry deserved while stuck as a dog.

Sirius didn't want to leave Harry alone again, but he _had_ to find Peter Pettigrew.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you everyone for the wonderful feedback!**

* * *

In the end, Sirius decided that since he wouldn't know where to find Pettigrew until the students were back at Hogwarts, he would stick with Harry until then. He spent most of the past week wandering around Diagon Alley alongside Harry and learning about his godson's past. Harry never told him the full stories behind everything he said, but he had let quite a few things drop when talking to his dog, and, after hearing those things, Sirius had to conclude that Dumbeldore had indeed gone daft. Trolls, basilisks, a crazy house-elf, a diary that sounded eerily like a Horcrux, and not mention a professor with Voldemort on the back of his head. Lily and James had to be rolling over in their graves by now!

But what bothered Sirius the most was what Harry said about his life with his aunt and uncle, and _how_ he said it. While Harry clearly wasn't happy about it, he talked like living in a cupboard and having bars placed on your window was nothing to be concerned about, acceptable even!

Sirius didn't know whom he wanted to have a 'word' with first: the Dursleys or Dumbledore. Either way, he was going to find Pettigrew and give his godson a new home by Christmas.

Sirius wiped the fog of the bathroom mirror. Being fed by Harry for the past week had certainly done him some good. He was no longer deathly skinny and some color had returned to his skin. Being able to wash and cut his previously greasy, elbow-length hair helped too. He would have liked to magically clean his prison robes-being the only clothes he had-but, thankfully, Harry had enough wits about him not to leave his wand in the room when he was out, so he settled for a washing them in the shower.

The first time Harry had left Sirius alone in the room and returned to find his dog clean, he muttered something about housekeeping being thorough, which was lucky for Sirius seeing as how dogs weren't supposed to bathe themselves. Sirius shook his head much like a wet dog would. He needed to finish drying, get dressed, change back into Padfoot, and let the bathroom air out before Harry got back, and Harry never left him alone for too very long. The boy hadn't been kidding when he said he knew what it was like to be lonely.

* * *

"I'm going to leave Scabbers in my room."

Voices at the door woke Padfoot up. He yawned, stretched, and jumped off the bed when Harry opened the door. A couple minutes later they were joined by someone Sirius assumed was Harry's friend. He took one looked at the gangly red-head and pounced. This was the boy from the _Prophet_! The one with Pettigrew on his shoulder!

"Ahh!"

"Down!" Harry grabbed Sirius around the neck and tugged.

"_The bloody hell is wrong with that stupid mutt?_"

"I don't know. He's never done that before. Bad dog."

Was Harry trying to reprimand him? It didn't sound too convincing. Regardless, Sirius put his tail between his legs and gave an apologetic whine. That boy didn't have Pettigrew with him at the moment. Now that Sirius knew where Pettigrew was, he would wait for everyone to fall asleep, and then make his move. He couldn't afford to delay now that he had evidence that Pettigrew was not only at Hogwarts with Harry, but quite possibly in the same dorm as him. With any luck, he'd have the traitor in time to sign Harry's Hogsmeade form himself.

"What's going on?" A girl with bushy, brown hair came into Harry's room.

"Harry's dumb dog attacked me!"

"He only jumped on you, Ron."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Dogs jump all the time. It doesn't look like he's trying to attack you. But you should really train him better, Harry."

"He's never jumped on anyone like that before!"

Two more red-heads-twins, by the looks of it-stuck their heads in the room. "You probably scared him with that ugly face of yours, little brother," the first one said.

"Yes, what poor creature wouldn't attack when confronted with that?" the second one added.

"SHUT UP!"

"Harry got a dog? I want to see!" A red-haired girl pushed her way into the room. "He's adorable!" She pet Sirius on the head. "What's his name, Harry?"

"Oh, er-"

Come to think of it, Harry never had given him a name. Not really being a dog, Sirius was intelligent enough to know when Harry was talking to him without being called, and always responded instantly to a 'come here, boy'. People Harry ran into from school had commented on what an awesome dog he was, but no one had asked his name before.

"Tsk, tsk. A dog as magnificent as that should not be without a name," one of the twins said.

"I just… never thought about it," Harry admitted.

The names the kids started throwing around for him got worse by the second. The one they finally settled on, 'Procyon', wasn't as bad as it could have been, except now his godson was expecting him to answer to that.

"Are you bringing Procyon to Hogwarts, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I should think not." Another red-head, this one a bit older, appeared in the doorway. "Dogs are not acceptable pets at Hogwarts, and as Head Boy-"

The door slammed in his face before he could finish, much to the amusement of the kids in the room.

"Percy's right though, you won't be allowed to bring a dog on the train," Hermione said.

"I know," Harry said, and bit his lip. "Plus, I've got Hedwig. I can't leave her behind."

"Don't worry about that, mate," one of the twins said.

"Fred and I can help you get him in, you'll just need to hide him," George said.

They opened Harry's trunk and emptied some stuff out of it. They looked at Sirius with a glint in their eyes that Sirius recognized from the eyes of James and himself during their own school days. Not good.

* * *

Those fool kids actually tried to stuff him in a trunk! It wasn't until Hermione pointed out that he wouldn't be able to breathe and Harry's trunk would look too suspicious with holes in it that they let him go long enough to get away.

It had gotten a lot quieter now that it was only Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the room with him.

Harry was scratching Sirius behind the ears. "I really don't want to leave him, but I can't take him, and the Dursleys won't watch him for me."

"Ask Hagrid to take him," Ron suggested. "We had to help take care of his stupid dragon."

"Yeah, maybe I will," Harry said.

Sirius had to admit, it would be a lot easier to get Pettigrew if Harry just brought him to the dorm where Pettigrew was being kept. He still wanted to grab the rat while everyone slept at the Leaky Cauldron, but it didn't look like these three were headed for bed anytime soon, so he had to prepare for the chance that he wouldn't get an opportunity until he got to Hogwarts. Plus 'Scabbers' appeared to be ill, so Ron was watching him extra carefully. He'd have to wait for the boy to let his guard down.

In the meantime, there was nothing Pettigrew could do to hurt Harry while Sirius was there. He would gladly rip the rat apart first.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you again for all the great reviews! I really appreciate them!**

Kairan1979: Scabbers didn't run in the previous chapter because Ron left him in his room before going to Harry's and seeing the dog for the first time. So Scabbers wouldn't have seen Padfoot. I'm sorry about the vagueness with that.

Danneyland: lol, Sirius showing displeasure with his name, opposed to just thinking about it, does seem very in character. Thanks for pointing that out!

* * *

Hermione gleamed triumphantly as she set a wicker basket on the floor in Harry's room.

"Er, what's this?" Harry asked.

"_This_ is how we'll get Procyon into Hogwarts," she answered.

"In Crookshanks' basket?"

"I've expanded it," she said. "They'll have all the room they need."

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"You know how well Crookshanks and Procyon get along."

This, aside from being true, really put Ron out. He became convinced that Hermoine's cat and Harry's dog were working together to eat his rat—who had been there first—when Ron had to save Scabbers from the pair the night before. He had even, on Mr. Weasley's suggestion, gotten a cage for Scabbers so that the rat couldn't get out and the cat and the dog couldn't get in. Scabbers had been clearly distressed by this, which upset Ron and caused him to lock himself in his room and sulk, much to the annoyance of Percy, with whom he was sharing the room.

They couldn't even tell him it was because it was in a cat's nature to chase rats, because, as Ron was quick to point out, it's also in a cat's nature to run from dogs, not befriend them.

Personally, Harry thought Procyon was still a little lonely—as Hermione claimed Crookshanks must have also been, being in that pet shop for so long—so he was happy to have an animal he could be friends with. (Hedwig would ruffle her feathers and fly off whenever Procyon came near her. Harry figured she was jealous that he had another pet, no matter how much attention and praise he gave her.) Not to mention, Scabbers probably looked more like a chew toy than anything else to Procyon.

"That's not what I meant," Harry said, looking again at the magically expanded basket.

"Oh, well, it's not like anyone can tell _who_ did the magic," Hermione said guiltily.

Harry grinned. "Come here, Procyon," Harry said to the dog lying on his bed. Although Harry knew it must be his imagination, he could swear that ever since they named him, Procyon would roll his eyes when Harry called him, even if he always obediently—albeit slowly—responded to his new name.

Harry held the basket lid open. "What do you think?"

Procyon jumped in the basket and _woof_ed. Harry could hear his tail wagging. Though the basket appeared cat-sized, there was enough room for three Procyon-sized dogs in it.

Harry laughed. "Brilliant, Hermione."

* * *

Sirius was glad when the basket was finally latched shut. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up his 'Happy Puppy' act for Harry. He had seen—actually _seen_—Pettigrew, in rat form, for the first time the night before, and he and Hermione's incredibly intelligent cat had made a mad dash for the rat all around the dining area. Sirius hadn't stopped to think about what the reactions of everyone watching would be, nor what his own hasty actions might cost him. Sirius and Crookshanks hadn't been able to catch Pettigrew before Ron did, but at least the rat was now being kept in a cage he couldn't escape from, at least not without transforming.

Pettigrew's inability to get away was the only reason Sirius had calmed down enough to think about just _how_ he was going to apprehend the traitor in this situation. He had forgotten how protective people—especially kids—could be over their pets, and Sirius was pretty sure that he'd had an easier time breaking out of Azkaban than he was going to have getting ahold of this rat now.

The train seemed like a good option, now that Sirius knew he'd be going to Hogwarts, since it would be impossible for Pettigrew to get off while it was moving, even if Ron let him out of the cage. Harry would probably want to keep, he shuddered, _Procyon_ in the basket so none of the other students saw him, but he could force his way out when Hermione let Crookshanks loose.

_Finally_, they were on the Hogwarts Express. Pettigrew, confined to his cage, wouldn't get away again. Sirius had him. He just needed the basket to open.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Sirius heard Ron ask, then close the compartment door.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione answered.

Sirius choked. _No_… It had to be a coincidence. Moony couldn't be the _only_ R. J. Lupin in the world… And wouldn't Harry have recognized Remus? Sirius sincerely hoped so, despite all the evidence against it.

Someone was fidgeting with the basket.

"Don't let them out! I'm letting Scabbers get some fresh air."

The rat squeaked.

"Ouch! Stay in there then! He bit me! Do you believe that?"

The basket opened, and Crookshanks immediately jumped out.

Sirius warily poked his head out. When he spotted the seemingly asleep wizard in question, he fell back into the basket in a very un-dog-like way. _What the hell was Moony doing on the Hogwarts Express?_ There was no way he could grab Pettigrew now, not with Remus sitting right there. ...Sitting mere _feet_ from a squeaking Pettigrew! Sirius wondered when Moony got so dense. It was something he'd have to hex out of his old friend.

_If he doesn't kill _me_ first._

Sirius had seen a couple of stags since he had broken out of prison, but he had looked away from them faster than if they had been basilisk eyes, they were such a painful reminder of James. Sirius guessed that Remus would feel the same, and so looking at a rat would be equally painful for him.

Sirius dared another look at Moony, ready to duck back into the basket at a moment's notice. At Hogwarts, Remus always snored lightly in his sleep, but this 'sleeping' Remus was silent. He was glad that Harry had the sense not to say anything about sneaking a dog aboard the train, since _that_ would definitely cause Moony to stir.

The Remus Lupin that Sirius remembered had been young with bright eyes, sandy-brown hair, and a few scars. The Remus Lupin that Sirius saw now was older with tired eyes, had flecks of grey in his hair, and had more scars. He looked, as Ron put it, like "one good hex would finish him off."

Sirius felt a pang of guilt. Remus had lost just as much as he did, although Moony was in no way responsible for it.

* * *

The train stopped. Sirius, who had been periodically peeking into the compartment to check that Pettigrew was still in his cage, was quick to hide again as—if memory served him—it was too early for them to be at Hogwarts. He heard the confusion, heard Remus' voice—scratchier than he remembered—trying to settle that confusion, and felt a cold that brought him straight back to Azkaban.

He had so many good memories just from being with his godson for the past couple of weeks that the dementors would have a feast if he turned back into a man, and the sudden onset of their powers was rapidly depleting his own.

Sirius felt himself slipping, and fought to remain as Padfoot. He saw James' body in the ruins at Godric's Hollow and heard himself crying out in the background. He saw Lily upstairs in front of her son's crib. He watched Hagrid take Harry without having a chance to hold his precious godson one last time. Harry…

"Harry. Harry!"

Someone was calling his godson. Sirius sat up in a hurry. What had felt like an eternity must have only been a few seconds, since he was still Padfoot. He scrambled to the basket lid. He heard Harry's voice asking what had happened and relaxed. The way Remus had been calling, the dementor might have—No. He wouldn't even _think_ that.

When Sirius heard Remus leave the compartment, he stuck his head out of the basket, gave Harry a quick lick to remind him that his dog was still there for him, and dashed back inside.

For the first time since watching the traitor disappear into the sewers twelve years ago, Sirius honestly didn't care about catching and killing Pettigrew. First, his actions had orphaned his godson, and now they had caused Harry to be exposed to dementors. Along with his twelve-year absence, Sirius was certain godfathers didn't come any worse than him.

Granted, Pettigrew's close proximity to Harry made him a very real threat that only Sirius was aware of, but Sirius swore to himself that, even if it meant losing a chance to get Pettigrew, he would not do anything else to endanger his godson. Maybe if he turned himself in to Dumbledore, his old Headmaster could help. Then again, even if Dumbledore _did_ hear him out and locate Pettigrew, he would probably give the rat one of those second chances he was so fond of, and that would do nothing to help anyone. Or maybe that was just bitterness at being branded a traitor and left to rot by a man he had loyally followed into battle. Either way, going to Dumbledore was out until he could be certain that Pettigrew would no longer pose a threat to Harry as a result.

Hearing his godson's name called like that after a dementor had been close enough to grab the boy had at least scared his priorities straight. From now on, Harry came first, not Peter Pettigrew.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I have to apologize for this chapter being so short and not very good. I wanted to get something up, but being in the middle of moving, a writer's block, and working two jobs, this was, unfortunately, the best I could come up with.**

* * *

Apparently having brought many illegal—and much more dangerous—pets to Hogwarts during his own school days, Hagrid had readily agreed to look after, shudder, _Procyon_. He had even told Harry that he should be proud of how well-trained his dog was. Hagrid had been less impressed, though, by Harry and his friends walking across the grounds unsupervised when a murderous lunatic was out to kill Harry, and marched the trio back to the castle.

Any patience that Sirius gained in Azkaban was lost over the next couple of months. Sirius remembered how the first week or two of the new term went—students eager for another year at a magical castle with their friends staying up all hours of the night during the few days before homework became unavoidable—and knew he would have to wait until the excitement died down to be sure the Gryffindor Common Room would be empty enough for him to sneak into. (If he couldn't get the password, Sirius could get into the kitchen, steal a knife, and cut through the Fat Lady's portrait.)

But during the first week of classes, excitement did anything but die down. Some brat of Lucius Malfoy—whom Sirius remembered well from two years of Hogwarts and a marriage to his cousin—had gotten himself slashed up by a hippogriff in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class. However—while Sirius did feel a pang of sympathy for Hagrid, who was caught up in thoughts of what would happen to his hippogriff—Hagrid was distracted enough for Sirius to get away unnoticed.

Unfortunately, Sirius had been cut off from reaching the Gryffindor Tower a couple of times by Remus turning a corner, and he had barely had time to hide in the shadows.

Harry had come to visit him a few times, under James' old invisibility cloak. During one visit—since he was assured that Ron hardly ever took 'Scabbers' out of his cage since all the rat ever did now was try to bite him and escape—Sirius decided to wait until Halloween to try anything. Harry had promised to sneak the dog into the Gryffindor Tower while his friends were at Hogsmeade.

Halloween, and everything would finally be over.

* * *

Harry raced to the Gryffindor Tower. He didn't have long before Ron and Hermione and the rest of his class would be back from Hogsmeade. He had promised Procyon he would sneak him into the tower during Hogsmeade weekends, and he hadn't kept that promised yet.

On his way to collect his invisibility cloak, Harry was stopped by Lupin, who invited Harry to his office for some tea and to see the new grindelow. Harry had accepted and lost track of time. Even though Harry doubted that Procyon—being a dog—understood what Harry had promised, Harry still felt incredibly guilty about not retrieving his dog sooner.

Harry almost yelled the password so he wouldn't have to stop running when he reached the Fat Lady's portrait, but the sound of her screaming stopped him. He skidded to a halt, panting in the corridor, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

There was a man slicing the Fat Lady's empty portrait. Sirius Black.

Black was better groomed and looked healthier than on his wanted posters. Harry briefly wondered how a man on the run had the time to fix up his appearance.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled.

The knife flew out of Black's raised hand and clattered on the floor. Black turned around, surprised to see Harry there. He looked… relieved?

"Harry! Thank Merlin!" Black smiled. But his grin didn't last. "Remus," Black croacked.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For any good it may do, I'm sorry for not updating soon. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"_You_," Lupin snarled.

The contorted features on the Defense professor's face were filled with such loathing that Harry would have been running as fast as he could had someone been looking at _him_ like that. Was this really the same caring man who had just show Harry a grindelow?

"Remus, please—"

"_TRAITOR_!" Lupin roared. A red beam shot from Lupin's wand. Black dodged, and the light hit the Fat Lady's shredded canvas.

Black took off down the corridor. Harry, still shocked, jumped when he felt Lupin grab his arm.

"Harry," Lupin's voice was strained, as if it took all his strength to maintain the composure he lost, "do _not_ leave my side. Black will _kill_ you if given the chance, do you understand?" Lupin muttered something and waved his wand, a silvery form sprang from it.

Harry nodded mutely, his brain asking to questions he had been too surprised for moments ago. Was the Fat Lady alright? How did Black get into the castle? Why did Lupin hate Black so much? Did they know each other? Black had called him by name…

Harry was pulled out of his racing thoughts by Lupin yanking him down the corridor.

"But," Harry pointed behind them, "he went the other—"

"I'm taking you to Dumbledore."

"Oh." Harry felt stupid for thinking a teacher was going to march him up to Black. "But what if someone else—"

"I've already gotten word to Dumbledore. Harry." Lupin stopped and turned to face Harry, his vice grip not letting up. "Black is dangerous, more dangerous than you know. Listen." Lupin seemed to know that Harry was about to cut him off. "There's no point in hiding it from you. The only thing we know for certain is that Black wants you dead. Now he's gotten into Hogwarts. I can't risk you running into him while I go off to search for him. Do you understand?"

"Er—"

That seemed to be enough response for Lupin, who continued to half-drag Harry through the castle.

* * *

Sirius didn't know if he was more relieved at seeing Harry alive or angry at himself for being spotted and possibly ruining everything. All day, Sirius as waited as a dog for Harry to sneak him to the Common Room, and every minute after the students' departure to Hogsmeade that Harry didn't come made Sirius more worried. Images of Pettigrew escaping his cage and throttling Harry had become more vivid by the second. Sirius' rash actions had robbed his godson of a good life in the past, the thought that his patience had now gotten his godson killed was too much.

He had raced to the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room as a dog, tried explaining the Harry was in danger to the Fat Lady, and attacked her when she refused to open. Why was he always so stupid? He should have left when he saw Harry safe, returned as Procyon. Instead, he stood there for a moment too long, and Remus saw him.

Once Sirius was sure he was far enough from Remus and Harry, and any prying eyes, he transformed and doubled-back to the Fat Lady's portrait. No one believed that the one he really planned to murder was still in the Gryffindor Tower—Dumbledore certainly wouldn't send the students back to their dormitories, the professors would be too divided standing guard by every House and searching the castle. Sirius was willing to gamble that once Dumbledore had a look around, the place would be left unwatched.

* * *

Sirius waited for the sound of footsteps to fade before emerging from the shadows to face the ruined portrait. He didn't doubt the Stunner that Remus had sent his way would have stopped his heart if it hit him. The slashing from the knife should have been easy enough from Filch to fix up, but the spell's damage reminded Sirius that werewolf-Remus wasn't the Moony people should fear, it was angry-and-holding-a-wand-Remus. But at least the blank portrait had seen enough destruction that Sirius could break through.

As he slowly climbed to the Third Year boys' dormitory, Sirius clutched the knife so tightly his knuckles turned white. Every step was deliberate, silent. Even if Pettigrew's rat ears could pick up Sirius' heavy breathing or rapidly pounding heart, they would not hear his footfalls.

Finally, after twelve years, everything would be over. Pettigrew would be dead, James and Lily would be avenged, and Sirius would be able to take Harry away from those rotten Muggles.

Soon…

Sweat from his palm stained the door as Sirius pushed it open.

"It's over, Pe—"

Sirius' arms dropped to his side as mind-numbing disbelief consumed him. There, on one of the bedside tables, was the cage Sirius had dreamed of getting into, smashed to bits, clearly empty.

"NO!" Sirius raced to the cage. A bit of blood on some of the broken sides was all Pettigrew left behind. Sirius let out a cross between a scream and a growl and hurled the cage against the wall, shattering it further and swore. He ran his fingers through his hair and paced. Of course Pettigrew knew about the plan to bring Sirius into the dormitory! Knew he had to act before then! The damn rat must have been trying to fake his death again, with that blood left behind. It wouldn't work twice! Sirius would—

Would what?

Twelve years ago, Sirius sat in a cell in Azkaban at a total loss of what to do next. James and Lily were dead, Harry was gone, Remus loathed him, and Pettigrew had vanished. There had been nothing he could do—he had no way of tracking a rat who could have run to any corner of the world! Sirius had spent the next twelve years dreaming of revenge, only to, just moments after tasting it, end up back where he started.

The castle was surely under lockdown by now, Sirius had used his time to go back for Pettigrew instead of escaping. He had no way to sneak out of the castle with every exit under scrutiny. All it would take is one mention of a large, black dog to Remus and his time on the run would be over. Even if he _could_ get out, Sirius didn't even know which side of the castle doors to begin his search for Pettigrew. What he wouldn't give for a look at the Marauders' Map!

With the adrenaline beginning to fade from his system, Sirius laid back across the foot of one of the beds, staring at nothing. He had failed James again. Failed Harry again.

Harry…

His foolishness would force his godson back into the home of those rotten, worthless Muggles! His failures had been easier to live with when he could imagine Harry growing up safe and happy, surrounded by people who loved him and spoiled him like Sirius wanted to.

No, Sirius would not allow Harry to go back to his blasted relatives who made it their life goal to break the boy down! He would figure something out. He had to. For Harry.

After a few moments of pacing, Sirius glanced down at Harry's trunk. He felt a bit guilty the moment he thought of it, and a bit stupid for not remembering it sooner. James' Invisibility Cloak was in Harry's trunk. Maybe Sirius wasn't as trapped as he had thought.

* * *

The day after Sirius Black had been spotted in Hogwarts when the students were allowed back to their Houses, Harry quickly became annoyed at arguing with Ron about what happened to Scabbers. When the Gryffindor Tower had been searched, the Gryffindors had only been allowed back in when Ron proclaimed loudly that the bloodied rat cage was Crookshanks' doing. However, when Harry and Ron got back to the dormitory, Harry found Procyon under his bed, which caused Ron to blame Procyon as well as Crookshanks in Scabbers' disappearance. Harry and Hermione had defended their pets, despite any evidence Ron threw at them, but Ron remained convinced that the cat and dog worked together to bust up the cage and eat Scabbers. When Harry finally declared that he was going to use the Invisibility Cloak to sneak Procyon back outside Hagrid's ("So he can run around after someone else's pet! Stupid dog!" "He was worried because I didn't show up today!"), Ron rolled on his bed and accused Harry of never caring about Scabbers while Hermione lectured him on how stupid that idea was. The eighth time Harry had to stop to let a teacher pass on his way back to the tower, he vowed never tell Hermione she was right. But the fear of Procyon being discovered in the dormitory and forced to live as a stray again had made Harry's decision even without either of his two best friends supporting him.

Three days later and Harry was nearing his limit with all the extra attention. Not only were his peers badgering him for details about the attack on the Fat Lady, but teachers were finding any excuse to walk him between classes or to the loo, and not to mention Percy Weasley tailing him all over the school, no doubt put up to it by his mother. The worst was when Professor McGonagall tried to stop Harry from practicing Quidditch, only relenting when Madam Hooch agreed to oversee practice.

The only thing that cheered Harry up was, after complaining about never being left alone within earshot of Fred and George, the Weasley twins dragged him off and presented him with something called the Marauders' Map. It showed the location of every person and animal inside Hogwarts. Harry was gifted with it to avoid the 'unwanted public' on the condition that he took care of it and used it to sneak into Hogsmeade on the next trip.

Harry was out to use the Marauders' Map for the first time that evening. Once he was sure that Ron and the others had fallen asleep, Harry grabbed the map and his dad's cloak. He didn't care how foolish he was acting, Harry needed to get away from everyone cornering him about murderers and rats. He would spend some time with Procyon, who must have been feeling neglected to show up under Harry's bed like that, and the go back to the castle to sleep.

The map was wonderful. While Harry ended up making several detours, he never ran into anyone. But one group of dots caught his eye. A group of professors was standing just outside the Great Hall. Harry's curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly approached to eavesdrop.

"-finish the search?" Professor Dumbledore asked Professor Flitwick.

"Yes, no sign of any of the security being tampered with."

"Do you really think Black would try again so soon, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"After spending twelve years in Azkaban, who can know how to predict Black's actions? But there is now no doubt that he is nearby. I do not plan on allowing him access to this castle a second time." Dumbledore sighed. "Thank you all for your assistance. Good night."

Harry retreated as far into the shadows as he could when Dumbledore left.

"I hope he's caught soon," Professor Vector said. "Really, Minerva, did you see the papers this morning?"

"I did. I'm just relieved Albus has managed to keep the worst of it from the press."

"The worst of it?"

* * *

Harry barely looked at the map as he raced to the secret passage to the school grounds that Fred and George had recommended. The conversation he had just heard between Professors McGonagall, Vector, Flitwick, and Hagrid had sent Harry off numb. His parents were dead because his father's best friend betrayed them. Everyone knew—hell, even Malfoy knew!—but no one, not Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Weasley (whose strange request that Harry not go looking for Black now made sense) bothered to tell him. Did they not trust him to know? Did they think he was too weak to handle the truth?

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Harry pulled off his Invisibility Cloak. Without waiting to see if Procyon was following, he started heading down the forest path. When he was far enough in that he didn't feel like the castle could watch him, he sat. Procyon, who seemed to sense Harry's anger, put a paw on his knee and gave a low whimper. Harry laid a hand on his faithful dog's head. Harry just sat there, his mind working furiously. Even if Black was caught and sent back to Azkaban like everyone was hoping, would that really be enough? The dementors didn't affect Black. Was that the truth everyone was trying to shield Harry from? That his parents' betrayer was never really punished for what he did?

"If I see Black, I'll—"

Procyon tilted his head.

"No one told me. My mum and dad died because of Black. He wasn't even suffering for it. The dementors didn't affect him, he never heard my mum screaming when they got too close!" Harry, blinking furiously, didn't notice when Procyon stepped back. "They all just kept it hidden, why didn't they tell me the truth? Why didn't they—"

"They couldn't have told you the truth, Harry. No one else knew it."

Harry jumped up. "_You_," he snarled.

* * *

Sirius stared at the ground to avoid the hatred he knew would be in his godson's eyes. It didn't lessen his cringe at the loathing in Harry's voice.

"I don't have any proof for you, but if you hear me out, I'll tell you everything."

He knew that revealing his identity to Harry was incredibly stupid. He knew that Harry would likely shout or hex him, attracting some sort of unwanted attention. But the guilt Sirius felt over hearing the hurt in Harry's words outweighed the desire to keep himself hidden. Maybe if Harry finally heard the truth, had Sirius talk to him about it, it would lessen the angry confusion Harry was clearly trapped in.

What Sirius did not anticipate was the small teenager launching himself onto Sirius and throwing as many punches as he could.

"Harry!" Sirius couldn't fight back, this was his godson! Even if Sirius wasn't a hundred percent positive that James would rise from the dead and hex him to oblivion for raising a hand to Harry, he could never do anything to hurt his godson! Instead, he grabbed Harry's arms and restrained him in an awkward embrace. The stinging under his left eye told Sirius he would soon have a bruise there.

"Let me go!" Harry snarled.

"I need you to listen."

"I'm not listening to anything you have to say!"

"Harry, what you heard tonight, what everyone thinks happened, that's not the truth. You can decide if you believe me or not once you hear me out, but you deserve to know."

"Why don't you just kill me like you killed my mum and dad!" Harry roared.

Sirius tried not to flinch. "I don't deny that I as good as killed them, but I never betrayed your parents, and I'm _not_ going to kill you."

"LIAR! You were their Secret Keeper! Or now that Voldemort's gone, are you too scared to finish the job you started?"

Sirius tightened his grip as Harry struggled.

"If I was going to kill you, I would have done it as Procyon!"

Harry went still, as though he hadn't before registered that his beloved dog was actually Sirius Black.

"You- You were in Azkaban for twelve years, you're mad!"

Sirius wanted to offer that his sanity was still intact, but he knew that 'the real traitor is your best friend's pet rat' was the maddest story he could tell without proof.

* * *

Harry's mind was racing. Procyon was Sirius Black. His dog—his best friend—was his parents' traitor. That truth hurt worse than anything else he had heard that night. Harry willed his eyes to dry. Procyon had been his faithful companion, someone he could talk to more freely than he could talk to even Ron, someone who always cheered him up, someone who understood what it was to be lonely and unwanted, someone who _loved_ him.

Harry didn't know just when his shaking turned from angry to hurt. He didn't know just when Black stopped restraining him in favor of a proper embrace. He didn't know just when he started crying into Black's dirty robes.

"I'm sorry," Black finally said, his voice shaking. "I never meant- I only wanted to catch a glimpse of you before going north… but when I saw you, running away, talking like you had no place to go- I couldn't leave you alone."

Harry stayed silent. Mad or not, if Black was a desperate to kill him as everyone said, he, Harry, would have been dead a hundred times over since leaving his aunt and uncle's. Could it all be some sick trick?

"I would never hurt you, Harry. Or your parents. They were my best friends, and you're my godson. Please, will you hear me out?"

Nothing was making sense anymore. Harry couldn't have said what made him nod, but when Black smiled at him, he felt the same comfort as he did from Procyon nudging his hand with a cold, wet nose.


End file.
